By Fernando Martinez
Last Friday, July 5, a group of Venezuelans commemorated the 213th anniversary of the signing of the independence of that Latin American country in front of the statue of Simón Bolívar in Central Park in Manhattan.
The members of the Venezuelan diaspora who participated in this event, stated that their country has the challenge of regaining its freedom after more than two centuries, after having been subjected to a totalitarian regime, which has expelled more than 8 million people from the once most prosperous country in South America.
The coordinator of the Venezuelan Community in New York, Leonel Flores, acknowledged that presidential elections will be held in that country next Sunday, July 28, with the challenge of overcoming a series of obstacles and fraudulent conditions imposed by the Nicolás Maduro regime to retain power.
“In New York we are organizing ourselves to provide logistical support with the formation of teams to defend the vote. There are no real conditions for a fair electoral process, but the resistance of citizens who want to get out of this dictatorial system is making them want to wage this new battle.”
Flores recalled that the Venezuelan regime has committed a number of misdeeds in recent weeks, persecuting and arresting those who participate in any way in political activities linked to the campaign of Edmundo González Urrutía, the “only truly opposition candidate.”
Venezuelans in the United States were denied the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
Last October, primaries were held around the world to choose the Venezuelan opposition candidate, with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado winning with more than 90% of the votes. However, the government-dominated National Electoral Council did not allow her registration.
“They went so far as to not allow the person who was overwhelmingly elected to run. That is just one example of the abuses and manipulations that have not stopped. Even so, we will continue on the electoral path, to make clear to the world the desire of Venezuelans for freedom,” he concluded.